"The storm adjustment kicks in automatically," said Maryland Public Service Commission spokeswoman Regina Davis. "The BSA (Bill Stabilization Adjustment) is calculated and applied by the companies, but checked by PSC staff and we make the utilities correct it if they get it wrong."

Maryland officials say utilities are limited to recouping lost billings from the first 24 hours of the outage only, and that, when spread across the utilities' customer base, that could be less than a dollar for the utility's average user.

"To be technically correct, they can only adjust for that first 24 hour period," said Maryland People's Chief Paula Carmody. "After that they're not collecting any adjustment."

Carmody said regulators restricted the utility's ability to charge customers for their losses earlier this year.

"As a result of a Maryland Commission order issued in Janauary 2012, PGE and Pepco cannot collect any lost revenues resulting loss of power during a major storm, except for revenues lost during the first 24 hours after the beginning of the storm," Carmondy said.

Officials in the District and Virginia say the utilities can not charge customers for lost billings there - so this is unique to Maryland customers.

"One of the things we certainly wanted to guard against was compensating Pepco when they were out for some reason not associated with energy efficiency," said District of Columbia Peoples' Counsel Director Sandra Mattavous-Frye . "And it being a sort of double dip for them and a burden on consumers."

In 2010, Pepco recouped nearly $1.4 million for one storm alone, but since the state limited adjustments to the first 24 hours, officials say, it is likely to be less.

Neither BGE nor Pepco would explain how it would appear on customers's bills, but a state official said it would be rolled into the customer's delivery fee - without a line item identifying the charge - so many people won't even know what they're be charged.

If you know about questionable utility activity, government waste or corruption e-mail tips@wusa9.com.